Need You Now
by YouCanCallMe MrsMalfoy
Summary: Hermione finds Ron cheating with Lavender and her world starts to crumble. Who will be the one to save her from herself? Draco/Hermione


A/N: So I took a try at writing again when I was bored in class. It was written with intent of being a one-shot, but I kind of fell in love with the plot line. It has the potential to be something more, depending on how you guys like what I have so far. It was inspired by both a bad breakup and the song 'Need You Now' by Lady Antebellum. Please, please review and give me any kind of criticism or idea. The background to this isn't ever stated so hopefully you guys are actually reading this. Hermione and Draco were made the Heads for their 7th year. They share a dorm and are as civil as possible to try to survive the year. Hermione walks in on Ron, her boyfriend, and Lavender getting it on. She freaks out and this is pretty much where the story starts. If I continue the fic, I'll probably include flashbacks to make this a little bit more fluid, but as a one-shot, it's not really top priority. But without further ado, here ya go! And please, remember to review! =)

I spoke the password, almost inaudible through my sobs. I ran directly to my room, not bothering to look around. I was sure Draco would be in his normal position on the couch in front of the fire. He was the last person I wanted to see right not. I hurried as much as I could, desperately hoping to reach the safety of my room before I could be stopped by his questioning. An "I told you so" is the last thing that I needed.

A sigh of relief escaped from my lips as I successfully slammed my door closed. There would be no question answering today. My sobs were simply a constant, my world had become so surreal and this scared me most. I sat in a lump on my bed, looking around to all the things that reminded me of him. The pictures of us, smiling and laughing, hung on the walls…the stuffed owl he got me for my birthday…the shirts and pj pants that he gave me to sleep in…everything revolved around him. And now he was gone. What was I supposed to do? Should I gut my room and remove all traces of him? Should I shrink it all and keep it to look back on one day? But if I saved these things, these memories, was I increasing my chances of going back to him? The hurt was too much now, but things may change and I may learn to forgive for what he did to me.

The voice inside my head spoke up yet again. **He never will change. If you take him back, he'll simply do it again to you later. Why put yourself through the heartbreak when you can do better than that git?**

Although the voice inside my head was right, I wanted to deny everything that it had to say. I'm the brightest witch in this school, I just needed to think with my brain, not trust my heart.

All my sorrow and depression momentarily turned to rage. I ran to the walls and tore off every picture that reminded me of Ron. Every item that held any connection to him was thrown and broken. All the anger and frustration was shown toward these innocent objects.

When all traces of our relationship were destroyed, depression set in at once again. Materials were easy to get rid of but the memories were permanent. Looking around, I saw where objects once were and was still forced to reminisce on what was once there. I sat in the middle of the floor and resumed my crying.

Then an idea crossed my mind that sane Hermione would have never thought. Drinking…drinking would help me forget. I summoned up a bottle of firewhiskey and started. After the first few shots, I got up from my seat and grabbed my iPod and speakers. After returning to my seat and now half-empty bottle in the middle of the warzone, I turned on my music and was distraught to hear the first song that was played on shuffle.

The music started out slow and I sang along, louder than I probably should have.

_Picture perfect memories,_

_Scattered all around the floor._

_Reaching for the phone cause, I can't fight it any more._

_And I wonder if I ever cross your mind._

_For me it happens all the time._

The tears flowed harder but didn't stop me from signing the words that seemed to fit the moment so well. Was he going through the same troubles I was? My guess was that he was unfazed and still laying in her arms. They probably got a big kick out of my tantrum. She probably laughed when I left and told him how she knew I would act the way I did.

_It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now._

_Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now. _

_And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now._

The song was right. I wanted to go to him so bad, wanted to tell him that I could forgive and forget. As long as he promised to stop seeing her and be faithful once again, I could deal with the pain of knowing I was only second best. I just wanted to talk to him, to hear him say that he loved me like he used to do all the time.

_Another shot of whiskey, can't stop looking at the door._

_Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before._

_And I wonder if I ever cross your mind._

_For me it happens all the time._

**And it probably will happen all the time. **As much as I hated my internal voice, it was right. Nothing would stop them from being a public couple now and I would have to go everyday seeing them smile and laugh together. I doubted that I could manage it. Firewhiskey would have to become a big part of my life if I was going to be able to handle life now.

_It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk,_

_And I need you now._

_Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now. _

_And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now._

I had nothing left to do but sob. The farther along the song got, the louder and more incoherent I probably was. It hurt excruciatingly bad to sing the lyrics that I knew were so true but I couldn't bring myself to stop. Getting them off my chest seemed to be moderately helpful. I continued my yelling.

_Yes I'd rather hurt than feel nothing at all._

_It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now._

_And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now._

_And I don't know how I can do without, I just need you now._

_I just need you now._

_Oh baby I need you now._

I finished the last notes and exploded into a mass hysteria of sobs. A complete breakdown was happening and I had no reason to stop it. I curled up into a ball on the floor was planning on remaining there for the remainder of the night.

I felt a cold hand touch my arm and I jolted up immediately.

"Ron?"

"Oh, it's just you…sorry."

I examined the pale face of the man in front of me and released a sigh of disappointment. His usual rigid and serious features were riddled with concern. I tried to determine if he was concerned because I was weeping or because I had yelled too loud and disturbed his peaceful common room. I couldn't be sure so I ignored it...after all, I had more important things to worry about. Like how I was going to live without the love of my life or how I was going to make it to class the next day.

"I'm sorry I was so loud, I didn't mean to disturb you. I'll try to be quieter."

The concern on his face grew stronger.

"What happened? I've never seen you like this, are you ok?"

I chuckled a little bit and without thinking, spit out "Why would you care, I'm just a 'filthy mudblood'. You should rejoice that my life is ruined."

And that's when I felt worse than I had before. Draco Malfoy looked…._hurt_? He had tried to come and be civil to me, and I pushed him away. I was an even worse person than I thought before…I see now why Ron cheated. I'm worthless.

My sobs started again as he turned to leave the room. He was almost to the door when I ran after him. I grabbed his hand and pulled him back toward me. Once again, without thinking, I threw myself in his strong arms and started blubbering again.

"I'm so sorry! You were just trying to be a nice person and I was idiotic. You've been courteous to me and I'm throwing it back in your face. It's just that none of my friends took my side; they all believe his lies and now I have no one left! I'm a bloody idiot, please don't leave."

His initial stiff composure relaxed and he awkwardly rubbed my back. "So what happened? I understand if you're not ready to talk about it yet. I can assume it's something pretty bad; you've completely destroyed your room. That's so not Hermione Granger!"

I couldn't help but to let out a little chuckle. I backed away from him and flashed him a small smile. If you would have asked me 10 minutes ago if I thought Draco Malfoy would make me smile today, I would have laughed in your face! But here he was, trying to cheer me up. He smiled back, a smile I knew almost every girl in Hogwarts would have killed to see at such a close proximity. He repeated the question, asking if I wanted to talk. I gave a polite nod and walked carefully over the pile to find a seat on my bed. He looked unsure at first but seated himself next to me, careful not to sit too far away to avoid looking uninterested.

I recounted every small detail, finally getting the chance to say everything out loud. He reacted accordingly to every part of the story and had a genuinely angry tone to his voice every time he had a comment to add. Sobbing started up once again when I relayed, in detail, the moment that I caught them together. Describing the image that was burned into my mind was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do. I grabbed my box of tissues from the bedside table and used them to clean up my face as best I could. The tears just wouldn't stop and I eventually gave up trying to keep my face dry.

My story came to an end and he sat there in what seemed to be shock. Crying became harder, assuming that his lack of reply meant that he saw things from Ron's point of view. Maybe he agreed with him; maybe he thought I was a waste of space and time too.

And then something that I never expected happened. Draco reached out and hugged me. It was my turn to be stiff at first, but I quickly relaxed in his arms. He pulled me closer to him and I ended up sitting in his lap. The comfort was more than I could take and I broke down, harder than I had yet. I let out every single tear that I had, falsely promising that it would be the last I shed for Ron. He whispered comforting words into my bushy head of hair, words that I needed to hear so badly.

"You deserve so much better than that git. I know we haven't gotten along well in the past and I'm truly sorry. I would love to blame it on my father but I think it's time to take responsibility for my actions. I judged you for something that's so trivial. I guess I just saw you as this tough girl and never really noticed that you have feelings, too. It kills me to know that some things that I've said and done may have hurt you like he did to you now. I know it's the last thing you want to hear but it's something I needed to say."

He took a brief pause and continued to rub my back as my sobs started to come fewer and farther between.

"He'll get what's coming to him in the end, trust me. It may be 10 days, it may be 10 years, but trust me when I say this: Karma will come back and bite Ron Weasley in the arse. He'll wake up one day, whether it's next to the slut Lavender Brown or some other random hussy, and realize that he missed out on something great. And as for your fellow Gryffindors…they may all be taking his side but that just proves how stupid they are too."

Once again, I small chuckle escaped my lips. I could feel him smile too and it made my smile even wider. I pulled back a little and looked into his stone grey eyes.

"Thank you. You have no clue how much you've helped me out when you really didn't have to. Everything that you said…it means so much. I never would have guessed that we would be able to talk like this. It's actually really nice though, you're not such a creep when you let your guard down."

He smiled his perfect smile yet again. He picked another tissue from the box and gently wiped the tears from my face. "Well thank you. And just so you know, you're not such a bitch and know it all when you're away from the Gryffindorks…you should stay away from them more often."

"I don't really think I'll have a choice." The mood was dropped and the frown appeared on my face again. "As much as I wish that it would, things won't just blow over. Ron will make everyone choose sides and they'll pick him, no doubt. He has older brothers and a younger sister on his side…I'm outnumbered. I was used to the Slytherins hating me…now I get my own house hating me too. Classes are going to be awesome!"

My overly obvious use of sarcasm seemed to lighten the mood for Draco, thus making me not angry anymore either.

We were enveloped in what should have been an awkward silence. We just sat there on my bed for what seemed like hours. Conversation didn't really seem needed. We were both able to mull over different things and I was really grateful for this. He finally stood up from the bed and conjured a large cardboard box. It was filled quickly with the random items I had spread over my room. When everything was stored away, he resumed his seat on my bed.

"Do you want anything else packed away? I would suggest you get rid of everything. It'll be a lot easier this way"

Here he was, again, solving more of my internal struggles. I had battled over the fate of these objects in my head and he comes sweeping in, making decisions for me. Now that the words had come from his perfect lips, it all seemed to make sense. The best way to forget would be to get rid of all traces of him and start over new. I scanned the room and added a few more things to the box. I returned to the bed, nodding in approval. He magically sealed the box and shrunk it down to the size of a matchbox.

"I'll be keeping this in my room to prevent you from bringing it all back out. If you feel like you need to reminisce then come to me and we can look at it together. You're not going to have to do this alone. I'll be right back."

Tears filled my eyes once again as I watched him leave with my Box-o-Ron. I crawled under my covers, finding solace in the sheets that Draco was no longer there to provide. One thing still bugged me. One thing kept me distracted from my thoughts of betrayal and adultery. Why was Draco being so nice? Why did this one night seem to cancel out the misery I endured from him over the past 6? Whatever the reason, I was thankful for it because I was not as strong as I believed. I cannot do this alone. The thing that bugged me the most was the way he was talking to me. Was there a hint of empathy in his voice? Did he understand what I was going through? But surely, the most attractive boy at school could not possibly understand what I'm going through, right?

I resumed my crying yet again. Only this time it felt more like I was obligated to cry, not that I actually needed to. It reminded me of when I was 8 and my pet goldfish died. I knew that it was going to happen eventually. It was a fish, I had no real emotional connection to the little animal but I still found myself crying my eyes out as I watched it flush down the toilet bowl. I began to cry even harder, realizing I just compared losing the love of my life to the death of a pet.

Draco's POV:

I stored her box in the lockbox under my bed. I wore the key around my neck so I knew there was no way of her getting ahold of the items without me. A step in the wrong direction was really the last thing she needed.

I returned to her room to see her balled up in bed, crying her eyes out. I crossed the room and sat close to her, scaring her when she felt the shift in weight on the bed. Seeing my face made her sob harder. I wonder what I did this time….

"What's wrong? You seemed fine when I left. What are you crying for now?"

"My fish died! My stupid fish died and Ron left me and I'm so alone!"

The pace in her crying picked up once more and I could think of nothing to do. I reached out and stroked her hair again. It seemed to do well to calm her before, hopefully it would work again. My assumptions were correct and her blubbering seemed close to ceasing. Her breathing became even. She was falling asleep. When I was almost positive that she was asleep, I muttered a quiet "Goodnight". I started to stand to leave but she grabbed hold of my hand and it stopped me in my tracks.

"Please stay with me. I really can't be alone tonight. Please don't leave me; you're all I have left."

I was glad that her eyes never opened because the look on my face would have probably offended her. I was in complete shock and had no clue what to do or say.

"I don't really thing tha—"

"Please Draco"

The use of my first name was shocking. Thinking back, she had used it a few times previously but it was never really noticeable until that very minute. I muttered an acceptance and pulled a chair up next to her bed. She kept opening her eyes every couple of minutes to make sure that I was still there. I moved to grab her hand again, to prove that I was with her when she spoke once more.

"You don't have to sleep in the chair; my bed's big enough for the both of us. I won't touch you or anything…if that's what you're worried about. It would just be reassuring to wake up from my nightmares and see that I'm not alone. I understand if you don't want to. Sleeping in here at all is already doing more than you could even imagine. Thank you so much, Draco."

I quickly debated in my head. If I slept in the chair there was a chance that I would wake up sore and cranky. If I slept in the bed she might wake up the next morning, no longer drunk, and flip out at the sight of me.

I decided my comfort was top priority and walked around to lie on the other half of the bed. As soon as I settled in, she turned around and faced me. Her crying had stopped and she looked into my eyes before speaking. I stared into her chocolate browns and realized that Weasley was insane for choosing Lavenders average looks over these alone. Even in the dark, they sparkled and seemed to light up the room. She began to speak and he couldn't stop himself from moving his eyes down to look at her lips. He watched them move while the words came out and realized that these, too, were underappreciated.

"Thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you…I was sort of losing it."

"I noticed. I know what it feels like to need someone to talk to. Everyone has times where they need to be listened to."

Silence overcame us again and I thought of things that I wanted to say. I wanted so badly to mention her drinking but didn't want to offend or upset her. I finally was able to calm her down. The last thing I needed was to upset her yet again. What would I do if she woke up in the morning and remembered nothing? I wasn't sure why, but the idea of her forgetting this night frightened me. She was laying there, watching me, almost waiting for me to speak.

"Do you want a spell for the firewhiskey? If you use one now, you might avoid a hangover in the morning…"

She looked ashamed but nodded her head. She no longer made eye contact with me and looked down while she waited for me to cast the spell. I took out my wand and used wordless magic to remove drunkenness and prevent the unfortunate side effects that most likely would've taken place in the morning.

Her eyes met mine once again as she muttered a thank you. Her attitude and actions didn't change at all, despite her being completely sober. She stared into my eyes once again and spoke softly.

"What do I do tomorrow? I don't know why you're being so nice, but I'm sure this is just because we're behind closed doors and because I was intoxicated. What do I do when I walk into the Great Hall and hear the murmuring? How can I listen to the whole school talk about how I got cheated on and watch them walk together, hand in hand?"

I didn't even take the time to think before talking because I had been thinking all night what she would have to deal with the next day.

"Just stand up for yourself. Don't let them get you down. You could do so much better than him, all you have to do is try. Don't look at it as him leaving you; look at it as you finally getting away from something not worthy of your time. You really are beautiful…don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Hold your head up high and smile. He stupidly chose a very ugly daft girl over you and one day he'll bite himself in the arse for making such a stupid decision. Make him regret it, you'll feel so much better."

She stared blankly at me and I saw the blush rise to her cheeks as I complimented her. I felt my own face get hot as the blood rushed there. I had not meant to say many of the things that I had, but that's my own fault for talking before thinking. I processed for a second before continuing.

"And you're forgetting that I came in here before I knew you were drinking. You being intoxicated had nothing to do with this and only worried me more that you would mistake this as me making ill-advances. I know we've had an absolutely terrible past, but you needed someone and, although it wasn't the same, I needed someone too. Just please, don't be afraid to come to me if you need me, whether it be a shoulder to cry on or even a homework buddy. I'm here for you."

Shock filled her face yet again, which completely countered my look of acceptance. I had such a rough past and wish that I had someone like this when I was going through my hard times. My past was so rocky and I was forced to deal with it alone. The thought of finding someone that I may be able to confide in exhilarated me. Yeah, I have friends, but none that I can actually talk to about my problems. I live in constant fear that anything that I say will be told to my parents…or even worse. I now have someone I can confide in that does not have the terrible connections that cause me to fear opening up.

She looked as though she may cry and sat silent for a few minutes. I could see her thinking and sat waiting for a reply. She moved her mouth to speak a few times but words never came out.

"Thank you. I never would have imagined that I'd be here, talking to you about my problems. I never would have thought that my life would be like this. I had this picture perfect life planned…where I'd get married to Ron and we'd have two children of our own. But I guess that's just not the case. I guess I was wrong about everything. It's just nice to know I have someone here to keep it real for me…to help me get back on track when I lose my way. I just hope you know that you can do the same with me. I hope that secrets can be safe with us…that what happens in these rooms will stay in these rooms."

I felt assured that it would be as I had hoped. Eventually I would open up and finally get to tell my terrible secrets to someone. These nightmares that I endured could subside with no fear of them coming back to haunt me. She had shared so much already and, if she went public with my secrets, I could counter with what she had told me. We were in a stalemate that was beneficial to us both.

"With time, I'll take you up on that offer. Just give me time to warm-up, ok? You should try to get some rest; tomorrow's going to be a tough day…"

"You're right, thank you. I apologize in advance if I lose it again tomorrow. I'm not excited about seeing them together…even if it is fully clothed this time. Thank you, again, for everything. You have no clue how important you were with all of this. Goodnight Draco, see you tomorrow."

Her eyes met mine one final time as she smiled. We held contact for a few minutes before she finally closed her chocolate brown orbs and drifted off. Without realizing it, I was watching her as she drifted into the deeper levels of sleep. She would randomly twitch, no doubt dealing with struggles in her dreams that she would soon face on a daily basis. I felt myself let out a quiet chuckle every time she moved. Seeing her so defenseless and at rest was amazing. This brilliant girl who was so amazing at controlling all aspects of her life was lying in front of me, asleep, and had no control whatsoever. Granted, she would be losing even more control over the next few weeks when she would have to face the man she loved and the girl that got on her back to steal him.

I repositioned and now lay on my side, facing her. I repressed the urge to reach out and stroke her hair. These actions had calmed her earlier but might stir her from her already restless sleep. Instead, I found myself deep in thought as I watched her sleeping form. The very last thing I remember, before shutting my eyes for a long night's sleep, was the smell coming from her pillow and the huge smile on her face…one that should not have been there due to the events of the day.


End file.
